Pride and prejudice by jane austen

Long," said Miss Lucas, "but I wish he had danced withEliza." "Another time, Lizzy," said her mother, "I would not dance with him, if I were you." "I believe, ma'am, I may safely promise

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Title: Pride and Prejudice

Author: Jane Austen

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PRIDE AND PREJUDICE

Chapter 27 Chapter 28 Chapter 29 Chapter 30 Chapter 31 Chapter 32 Chapter 33 Chapter 34 Chapter 35 Chapter 36 Chapter 37 Chapter 38 Chapter 39 Chapter 40 Chapter 41 Chapter 42 Chapter 43 Chapter 44 Chapter 45 Chapter 46 Chapter 47 Chapter 48 Chapter 49 Chapter 50 Chapter 51 Chapter 52 Chapter 53 Chapter 54 Chapter 55 Chapter 56 Chapter 57 Chapter 58 Chapter 59 Chapter 60 Chapter 61

"My dear Mr Bennet," said his lady to him one day, "have you heard that Netherfield Park is let atlast?"

Mr Bennet replied that he had not

"But it is," returned she; "for Mrs Long has just been here, and she told me all about it."

Mr Bennet made no answer

"Do you not want to know who has taken it?" cried his wife impatiently

"You want to tell me, and I have no objection to hearing it."

This was invitation enough

"Why, my dear, you must know, Mrs Long says that Netherfield is taken by a young man of largefortune from the north of England; that he came down on Monday in a chaise and four to see the place,and was so much delighted with it, that he agreed with Mr Morris immediately; that he is to takepossession before Michaelmas, and some of his servants are to be in the house by the end of nextweek."

"What is his name?"

"Bingley."

"Is he married or single?"

"Oh! Single, my dear, to be sure! A single man of large fortune; four or five thousand a year What

a fine thing for our girls!"

"How so? How can it affect them?"

"My dear Mr Bennet," replied his wife, "how can you be so tiresome! You must know that I amthinking of his marrying one of them."

"Is that his design in settling here?"

"Design! Nonsense, how can you talk so! But it is very likely that he may fall in love with one of

them, and therefore you must visit him as soon as he comes."

"I see no occasion for that You and the girls may go, or you may send them by themselves, which

perhaps will be still better, for as you are as handsome as any of them, Mr Bingley may like you thebest of the party."

"My dear, you flatter me I certainly have had my share of beauty, but I do not pretend to be

anything extraordinary now When a woman has five grown-up daughters, she ought to give overthinking of her own beauty."

"In such cases, a woman has not often much beauty to think of."

"But, my dear, you must indeed go and see Mr Bingley when he comes into the neighbourhood."

"It is more than I engage for, I assure you."

"But consider your daughters Only think what an establishment it would be for one of them SirWilliam and Lady Lucas are determined to go, merely on that account, for in general, you know, they

visit no newcomers Indeed you must go, for it will be impossible for us to visit him if you do not."

"You are over-scrupulous, surely I dare say Mr Bingley will be very glad to see you; and I willsend a few lines by you to assure him of my hearty consent to his marrying whichever he chooses ofthe girls; though I must throw in a good word for my little Lizzy."

"I desire you will do no such thing Lizzy is not a bit better than the others; and I am sure she is not

half so handsome as Jane, nor half so good-humoured as Lydia But you are always giving her the

preference."

"They have none of them much to recommend them," replied he; "they are all silly and ignorant likeother girls; but Lizzy has something more of quickness than her sisters."

"Mr Bennet, how can you abuse your own children in such a way? You take delight in vexing me.

You have no compassion for my poor nerves."

"You mistake me, my dear I have a high respect for your nerves They are my old friends I haveheard you mention them with consideration these last twenty years at least."

"Ah, you do not know what I suffer."

"But I hope you will get over it, and live to see many young men of four thousand a year come intothe neighbourhood."

"It will be no use to us, if twenty such should come, since you will not visit them."

"Depend upon it, my dear, that when there are twenty, I will visit them all."

Mr Bennet was so odd a mixture of quick parts, sarcastic humour, reserve, and caprice, that theexperience of three-and-twenty years had been insufficient to make his wife understand his character

Her mind was less difficult to develop She was a woman of mean understanding, little information,

and uncertain temper When she was discontented, she fancied herself nervous The business of herlife was to get her daughters married; its solace was visiting and news

Chapter 2

Mr Bennet was among the earliest of those who waited on Mr Bingley He had always intended tovisit him, though to the last always assuring his wife that he should not go; and till the evening afterthe visit was paid she had no knowledge of it It was then disclosed in the following manner.Observing his second daughter employed in trimming a hat, he suddenly addressed her with:

"I hope Mr Bingley will like it, Lizzy."

"We are not in a way to know what Mr Bingley likes," said her mother resentfully, "since we are

"Kitty has no discretion in her coughs," said her father; "she times them ill."

"I do not cough for my own amusement," replied Kitty fretfully "When is your next ball to be,Lizzy?"

"To-morrow fortnight."

"Aye, so it is," cried her mother, "and Mrs Long does not come back till the day before; so it will

be impossible for her to introduce him, for she will not know him herself."

"Then, my dear, you may have the advantage of your friend, and introduce Mr Bingley to her."

"Impossible, Mr Bennet, impossible, when I am not acquainted with him myself; how can you be

so teasing?"

"I honour your circumspection A fortnight's acquaintance is certainly very little One cannot know

what a man really is by the end of a fortnight But if we do not venture somebody else will; and after

all, Mrs Long and her daughters must stand their chance; and, therefore, as she will think it an act ofkindness, if you decline the office, I will take it on myself."

The girls stared at their father Mrs Bennet said only, "Nonsense, nonsense!"

"What can be the meaning of that emphatic exclamation?" cried he "Do you consider the forms of

introduction, and the stress that is laid on them, as nonsense? I cannot quite agree with you there.

What say you, Mary? For you are a young lady of deep reflection, I know, and read great books andmake extracts."

Mary wished to say something sensible, but knew not how

"While Mary is adjusting her ideas," he continued, "let us return to Mr Bingley."

"I am sick of Mr Bingley," cried his wife

"I am sorry to hear that; but why did not you tell me that before? If I had known as much this

morning I certainly would not have called on him It is very unlucky; but as I have actually paid thevisit, we cannot escape the acquaintance now."

The astonishment of the ladies was just what he wished; that of Mrs Bennet perhaps surpassing therest; though, when the first tumult of joy was over, she began to declare that it was what she hadexpected all the while

"How good it was in you, my dear Mr Bennet! But I knew I should persuade you at last I was sureyou loved your girls too well to neglect such an acquaintance Well, how pleased I am! and it is such

a good joke, too, that you should have gone this morning and never said a word about it till now."

"Now, Kitty, you may cough as much as you choose," said Mr Bennet; and, as he spoke, he left theroom, fatigued with the raptures of his wife

"What an excellent father you have, girls!" said she, when the door was shut "I do not know howyou will ever make him amends for his kindness; or me, either, for that matter At our time of life it isnot so pleasant, I can tell you, to be making new acquaintances every day; but for your sakes, we

would do anything Lydia, my love, though you are the youngest, I dare say Mr Bingley will dance

with you at the next ball."

"Oh!" said Lydia stoutly, "I am not afraid; for though I am the youngest, I'm the tallest."

The rest of the evening was spent in conjecturing how soon he would return Mr Bennet's visit, anddetermining when they should ask him to dinner

Chapter 3

Not all that Mrs Bennet, however, with the assistance of her five daughters, could ask on thesubject, was sufficient to draw from her husband any satisfactory description of Mr Bingley Theyattacked him in various ways—with barefaced questions, ingenious suppositions, and distantsurmises; but he eluded the skill of them all, and they were at last obliged to accept the second-handintelligence of their neighbour, Lady Lucas Her report was highly favourable Sir William had beendelighted with him He was quite young, wonderfully handsome, extremely agreeable, and, to crownthe whole, he meant to be at the next assembly with a large party Nothing could be more delightful!

To be fond of dancing was a certain step towards falling in love; and very lively hopes of Mr.Bingley's heart were entertained

"If I can but see one of my daughters happily settled at Netherfield," said Mrs Bennet to herhusband, "and all the others equally well married, I shall have nothing to wish for."

In a few days Mr Bingley returned Mr Bennet's visit, and sat about ten minutes with him in hislibrary He had entertained hopes of being admitted to a sight of the young ladies, of whose beauty hehad heard much; but he saw only the father The ladies were somewhat more fortunate, for they hadthe advantage of ascertaining from an upper window that he wore a blue coat, and rode a black horse

An invitation to dinner was soon afterwards dispatched; and already had Mrs Bennet planned thecourses that were to do credit to her housekeeping, when an answer arrived which deferred it all Mr.Bingley was obliged to be in town the following day, and, consequently, unable to accept the honour

of their invitation, etc Mrs Bennet was quite disconcerted She could not imagine what business hecould have in town so soon after his arrival in Hertfordshire; and she began to fear that he might bealways flying about from one place to another, and never settled at Netherfield as he ought to be LadyLucas quieted her fears a little by starting the idea of his being gone to London only to get a largeparty for the ball; and a report soon followed that Mr Bingley was to bring twelve ladies and sevengentlemen with him to the assembly The girls grieved over such a number of ladies, but werecomforted the day before the ball by hearing, that instead of twelve he brought only six with him fromLondon—his five sisters and a cousin And when the party entered the assembly room it consisted ofonly five altogether—Mr Bingley, his two sisters, the husband of the eldest, and another young man

Mr Bingley was good-looking and gentlemanlike; he had a pleasant countenance, and easy,unaffected manners His sisters were fine women, with an air of decided fashion His brother-in-law,

Mr Hurst, merely looked the gentleman; but his friend Mr Darcy soon drew the attention of the room

by his fine, tall person, handsome features, noble mien, and the report which was in generalcirculation within five minutes after his entrance, of his having ten thousand a year The gentlemenpronounced him to be a fine figure of a man, the ladies declared he was much handsomer than Mr.Bingley, and he was looked at with great admiration for about half the evening, till his manners gave adisgust which turned the tide of his popularity; for he was discovered to be proud; to be above hiscompany, and above being pleased; and not all his large estate in Derbyshire could then save himfrom having a most forbidding, disagreeable countenance, and being unworthy to be compared withhis friend

Mr Bingley had soon made himself acquainted with all the principal people in the room; he waslively and unreserved, danced every dance, was angry that the ball closed so early, and talked ofgiving one himself at Netherfield Such amiable qualities must speak for themselves What a contrastbetween him and his friend! Mr Darcy danced only once with Mrs Hurst and once with MissBingley, declined being introduced to any other lady, and spent the rest of the evening in walkingabout the room, speaking occasionally to one of his own party His character was decided He wasthe proudest, most disagreeable man in the world, and everybody hoped that he would never comethere again Amongst the most violent against him was Mrs Bennet, whose dislike of his generalbehaviour was sharpened into particular resentment by his having slighted one of her daughters.

Elizabeth Bennet had been obliged, by the scarcity of gentlemen, to sit down for two dances; andduring part of that time, Mr Darcy had been standing near enough for her to hear a conversationbetween him and Mr Bingley, who came from the dance for a few minutes, to press his friend to joinit

"Come, Darcy," said he, "I must have you dance I hate to see you standing about by yourself in thisstupid manner You had much better dance."

"I certainly shall not You know how I detest it, unless I am particularly acquainted with mypartner At such an assembly as this it would be insupportable Your sisters are engaged, and there isnot another woman in the room whom it would not be a punishment to me to stand up with."

"I would not be so fastidious as you are," cried Mr Bingley, "for a kingdom! Upon my honour, Inever met with so many pleasant girls in my life as I have this evening; and there are several of themyou see uncommonly pretty."

"You are dancing with the only handsome girl in the room," said Mr Darcy, looking at the eldest

Miss Bennet

"Oh! She is the most beautiful creature I ever beheld! But there is one of her sisters sitting downjust behind you, who is very pretty, and I dare say very agreeable Do let me ask my partner tointroduce you."

"Which do you mean?" and turning round he looked for a moment at Elizabeth, till catching her eye,

he withdrew his own and coldly said: "She is tolerable, but not handsome enough to tempt me; I am in

no humour at present to give consequence to young ladies who are slighted by other men You hadbetter return to your partner and enjoy her smiles, for you are wasting your time with me."

Mr Bingley followed his advice Mr Darcy walked off; and Elizabeth remained with no verycordial feelings toward him She told the story, however, with great spirit among her friends; for shehad a lively, playful disposition, which delighted in anything ridiculous

The evening altogether passed off pleasantly to the whole family Mrs Bennet had seen her eldestdaughter much admired by the Netherfield party Mr Bingley had danced with her twice, and she hadbeen distinguished by his sisters Jane was as much gratified by this as her mother could be, though in

a quieter way Elizabeth felt Jane's pleasure Mary had heard herself mentioned to Miss Bingley asthe most accomplished girl in the neighbourhood; and Catherine and Lydia had been fortunate enoughnever to be without partners, which was all that they had yet learnt to care for at a ball They returned,

therefore, in good spirits to Longbourn, the village where they lived, and of which they were theprincipal inhabitants They found Mr Bennet still up With a book he was regardless of time; and onthe present occasion he had a good deal of curiosity as to the event of an evening which had raisedsuch splendid expectations He had rather hoped that his wife's views on the stranger would bedisappointed; but he soon found out that he had a different story to hear.

"Oh! my dear Mr Bennet," as she entered the room, "we have had a most delightful evening, a mostexcellent ball I wish you had been there Jane was so admired, nothing could be like it Everybodysaid how well she looked; and Mr Bingley thought her quite beautiful, and danced with her twice!

Only think of that, my dear; he actually danced with her twice! and she was the only creature in the

room that he asked a second time First of all, he asked Miss Lucas I was so vexed to see him stand

up with her! But, however, he did not admire her at all; indeed, nobody can, you know; and he seemedquite struck with Jane as she was going down the dance So he inquired who she was, and gotintroduced, and asked her for the two next Then the two third he danced with Miss King, and the twofourth with Maria Lucas, and the two fifth with Jane again, and the two sixth with Lizzy, and the

Boulanger—"

"If he had had any compassion for me," cried her husband impatiently, "he would not have danced

half so much! For God's sake, say no more of his partners Oh that he had sprained his ankle in thefirst dance!"

"Oh! my dear, I am quite delighted with him He is so excessively handsome! And his sisters arecharming women I never in my life saw anything more elegant than their dresses I dare say the laceupon Mrs Hurst's gown—"

Here she was interrupted again Mr Bennet protested against any description of finery She wastherefore obliged to seek another branch of the subject, and related, with much bitterness of spirit andsome exaggeration, the shocking rudeness of Mr Darcy

"But I can assure you," she added, "that Lizzy does not lose much by not suiting his fancy; for he is

a most disagreeable, horrid man, not at all worth pleasing So high and so conceited that there was noenduring him! He walked here, and he walked there, fancying himself so very great! Not handsomeenough to dance with! I wish you had been there, my dear, to have given him one of your set-downs Iquite detest the man."

"Did not you? I did for you But that is one great difference between us Compliments always take

you by surprise, and me never What could be more natural than his asking you again? He could not

help seeing that you were about five times as pretty as every other woman in the room No thanks tohis gallantry for that Well, he certainly is very agreeable, and I give you leave to like him You haveliked many a stupider person."

"Dear Lizzy!"

"Oh! you are a great deal too apt, you know, to like people in general You never see a fault inanybody All the world are good and agreeable in your eyes I never heard you speak ill of a humanbeing in your life."

"I would not wish to be hasty in censuring anyone; but I always speak what I think."

"I know you do; and it is that which makes the wonder With your good sense, to be so honestly

blind to the follies and nonsense of others! Affectation of candour is common enough—one meetswith it everywhere But to be candid without ostentation or design—to take the good of everybody'scharacter and make it still better, and say nothing of the bad—belongs to you alone And so you likethis man's sisters, too, do you? Their manners are not equal to his."

"Certainly not—at first But they are very pleasing women when you converse with them MissBingley is to live with her brother, and keep his house; and I am much mistaken if we shall not find avery charming neighbour in her."

Elizabeth listened in silence, but was not convinced; their behaviour at the assembly had not beencalculated to please in general; and with more quickness of observation and less pliancy of temperthan her sister, and with a judgement too unassailed by any attention to herself, she was very littledisposed to approve them They were in fact very fine ladies; not deficient in good humour when theywere pleased, nor in the power of making themselves agreeable when they chose it, but proud andconceited They were rather handsome, had been educated in one of the first private seminaries intown, had a fortune of twenty thousand pounds, were in the habit of spending more than they ought,and of associating with people of rank, and were therefore in every respect entitled to think well ofthemselves, and meanly of others They were of a respectable family in the north of England; a

circumstance more deeply impressed on their memories than that their brother's fortune and their ownhad been acquired by trade.

Mr Bingley inherited property to the amount of nearly a hundred thousand pounds from his father,who had intended to purchase an estate, but did not live to do it Mr Bingley intended it likewise, andsometimes made choice of his county; but as he was now provided with a good house and the liberty

of a manor, it was doubtful to many of those who best knew the easiness of his temper, whether hemight not spend the remainder of his days at Netherfield, and leave the next generation to purchase

His sisters were anxious for his having an estate of his own; but, though he was now onlyestablished as a tenant, Miss Bingley was by no means unwilling to preside at his table—nor wasMrs Hurst, who had married a man of more fashion than fortune, less disposed to consider his house

as her home when it suited her Mr Bingley had not been of age two years, when he was tempted by

an accidental recommendation to look at Netherfield House He did look at it, and into it for hour—was pleased with the situation and the principal rooms, satisfied with what the owner said inits praise, and took it immediately

half-an-Between him and Darcy there was a very steady friendship, in spite of great opposition ofcharacter Bingley was endeared to Darcy by the easiness, openness, and ductility of his temper,though no disposition could offer a greater contrast to his own, and though with his own he neverappeared dissatisfied On the strength of Darcy's regard, Bingley had the firmest reliance, and of hisjudgement the highest opinion In understanding, Darcy was the superior Bingley was by no meansdeficient, but Darcy was clever He was at the same time haughty, reserved, and fastidious, and hismanners, though well-bred, were not inviting In that respect his friend had greatly the advantage.Bingley was sure of being liked wherever he appeared, Darcy was continually giving offense

The manner in which they spoke of the Meryton assembly was sufficiently characteristic Bingleyhad never met with more pleasant people or prettier girls in his life; everybody had been most kindand attentive to him; there had been no formality, no stiffness; he had soon felt acquainted with all theroom; and, as to Miss Bennet, he could not conceive an angel more beautiful Darcy, on the contrary,had seen a collection of people in whom there was little beauty and no fashion, for none of whom hehad felt the smallest interest, and from none received either attention or pleasure Miss Bennet heacknowledged to be pretty, but she smiled too much

Mrs Hurst and her sister allowed it to be so—but still they admired her and liked her, andpronounced her to be a sweet girl, and one whom they would not object to know more of MissBennet was therefore established as a sweet girl, and their brother felt authorized by suchcommendation to think of her as he chose

Chapter 5

Within a short walk of Longbourn lived a family with whom the Bennets were particularly intimate.Sir William Lucas had been formerly in trade in Meryton, where he had made a tolerable fortune, andrisen to the honour of knighthood by an address to the king during his mayoralty The distinction hadperhaps been felt too strongly It had given him a disgust to his business, and to his residence in asmall market town; and, in quitting them both, he had removed with his family to a house about a milefrom Meryton, denominated from that period Lucas Lodge, where he could think with pleasure of hisown importance, and, unshackled by business, occupy himself solely in being civil to all the world.For, though elated by his rank, it did not render him supercilious; on the contrary, he was all attention

to everybody By nature inoffensive, friendly, and obliging, his presentation at St James's had madehim courteous

Lady Lucas was a very good kind of woman, not too clever to be a valuable neighbour to Mrs.Bennet They had several children The eldest of them, a sensible, intelligent young woman, abouttwenty-seven, was Elizabeth's intimate friend

That the Miss Lucases and the Miss Bennets should meet to talk over a ball was absolutelynecessary; and the morning after the assembly brought the former to Longbourn to hear and tocommunicate

"You began the evening well, Charlotte," said Mrs Bennet with civil self-command to Miss Lucas.

"You were Mr Bingley's first choice."

"Yes; but he seemed to like his second better."

"Oh! you mean Jane, I suppose, because he danced with her twice To be sure that did seem as if he admired her—indeed I rather believe he did—I heard something about it—but I hardly know what—

something about Mr Robinson."

"Perhaps you mean what I overheard between him and Mr Robinson; did not I mention it to you?

Mr Robinson's asking him how he liked our Meryton assemblies, and whether he did not think there

were a great many pretty women in the room, and which he thought the prettiest? and his answering

immediately to the last question: 'Oh! the eldest Miss Bennet, beyond a doubt; there cannot be twoopinions on that point.'"

"Upon my word! Well, that is very decided indeed—that does seem as if—but, however, it may allcome to nothing, you know."

"My overhearings were more to the purpose than yours, Eliza," said Charlotte "Mr Darcy is not

so well worth listening to as his friend, is he?—poor Eliza!—to be only just tolerable."

"I beg you would not put it into Lizzy's head to be vexed by his ill-treatment, for he is such adisagreeable man, that it would be quite a misfortune to be liked by him Mrs Long told me last nightthat he sat close to her for half-an-hour without once opening his lips."

"Are you quite sure, ma'am?—is not there a little mistake?" said Jane "I certainly saw Mr Darcy

speaking to her."

"Aye—because she asked him at last how he liked Netherfield, and he could not help answeringher; but she said he seemed quite angry at being spoke to."

"Miss Bingley told me," said Jane, "that he never speaks much, unless among his intimate

acquaintances With them he is remarkably agreeable."

"I do not believe a word of it, my dear If he had been so very agreeable, he would have talked toMrs Long But I can guess how it was; everybody says that he is eat up with pride, and I dare say hehad heard somehow that Mrs Long does not keep a carriage, and had come to the ball in a hackchaise."

"I do not mind his not talking to Mrs Long," said Miss Lucas, "but I wish he had danced withEliza."

"Another time, Lizzy," said her mother, "I would not dance with him, if I were you."

"I believe, ma'am, I may safely promise you never to dance with him."

"His pride," said Miss Lucas, "does not offend me so much as pride often does, because there is an

excuse for it One cannot wonder that so very fine a young man, with family, fortune, everything in his

favour, should think highly of himself If I may so express it, he has a right to be proud."

"That is very true," replied Elizabeth, "and I could easily forgive his pride, if he had not mortified

mine."

"Pride," observed Mary, who piqued herself upon the solidity of her reflections, "is a verycommon failing, I believe By all that I have ever read, I am convinced that it is very common indeed;that human nature is particularly prone to it, and that there are very few of us who do not cherish afeeling of self-complacency on the score of some quality or other, real or imaginary Vanity and prideare different things, though the words are often used synonymously A person may be proud withoutbeing vain Pride relates more to our opinion of ourselves, vanity to what we would have others think

Chapter 6

The ladies of Longbourn soon waited on those of Netherfield The visit was soon returned in dueform Miss Bennet's pleasing manners grew on the goodwill of Mrs Hurst and Miss Bingley; andthough the mother was found to be intolerable, and the younger sisters not worth speaking to, a wish

of being better acquainted with them was expressed towards the two eldest By Jane, this attention

was received with the greatest pleasure, but Elizabeth still saw superciliousness in their treatment ofeverybody, hardly excepting even her sister, and could not like them; though their kindness to Jane,such as it was, had a value as arising in all probability from the influence of their brother's

admiration It was generally evident whenever they met, that he did admire her and to her it was

equally evident that Jane was yielding to the preference which she had begun to entertain for him fromthe first, and was in a way to be very much in love; but she considered with pleasure that it was notlikely to be discovered by the world in general, since Jane united, with great strength of feeling, acomposure of temper and a uniform cheerfulness of manner which would guard her from thesuspicions of the impertinent She mentioned this to her friend Miss Lucas

"It may perhaps be pleasant," replied Charlotte, "to be able to impose on the public in such a case;but it is sometimes a disadvantage to be so very guarded If a woman conceals her affection with thesame skill from the object of it, she may lose the opportunity of fixing him; and it will then be butpoor consolation to believe the world equally in the dark There is so much of gratitude or vanity in

almost every attachment, that it is not safe to leave any to itself We can all begin freely—a slight

preference is natural enough; but there are very few of us who have heart enough to be really in love

without encouragement In nine cases out of ten a women had better show more affection than she

feels Bingley likes your sister undoubtedly; but he may never do more than like her, if she does nothelp him on."

"But she does help him on, as much as her nature will allow If I can perceive her regard for him,

he must be a simpleton, indeed, not to discover it too."

"Remember, Eliza, that he does not know Jane's disposition as you do."

"But if a woman is partial to a man, and does not endeavour to conceal it, he must find it out."

"Perhaps he must, if he sees enough of her But, though Bingley and Jane meet tolerably often, it isnever for many hours together; and, as they always see each other in large mixed parties, it isimpossible that every moment should be employed in conversing together Jane should therefore makethe most of every half-hour in which she can command his attention When she is secure of him, therewill be more leisure for falling in love as much as she chooses."

"Your plan is a good one," replied Elizabeth, "where nothing is in question but the desire of beingwell married, and if I were determined to get a rich husband, or any husband, I dare say I shouldadopt it But these are not Jane's feelings; she is not acting by design As yet, she cannot even becertain of the degree of her own regard nor of its reasonableness She has known him only a fortnight.She danced four dances with him at Meryton; she saw him one morning at his own house, and hassince dined with him in company four times This is not quite enough to make her understand his

"Not as you represent it Had she merely dined with him, she might only have discovered whether

he had a good appetite; but you must remember that four evenings have also been spent together—andfour evenings may do a great deal."

"Yes; these four evenings have enabled them to ascertain that they both like Vingt-un better thanCommerce; but with respect to any other leading characteristic, I do not imagine that much has beenunfolded."

"Well," said Charlotte, "I wish Jane success with all my heart; and if she were married to him morrow, I should think she had as good a chance of happiness as if she were to be studying hischaracter for a twelvemonth Happiness in marriage is entirely a matter of chance If the dispositions

to-of the parties are ever so well known to each other or ever so similar beforehand, it does not advancetheir felicity in the least They always continue to grow sufficiently unlike afterwards to have theirshare of vexation; and it is better to know as little as possible of the defects of the person with whomyou are to pass your life."

"You make me laugh, Charlotte; but it is not sound You know it is not sound, and that you wouldnever act in this way yourself."

Occupied in observing Mr Bingley's attentions to her sister, Elizabeth was far from suspecting thatshe was herself becoming an object of some interest in the eyes of his friend Mr Darcy had at firstscarcely allowed her to be pretty; he had looked at her without admiration at the ball; and when theynext met, he looked at her only to criticise But no sooner had he made it clear to himself and hisfriends that she hardly had a good feature in her face, than he began to find it was rendereduncommonly intelligent by the beautiful expression of her dark eyes To this discovery succeededsome others equally mortifying Though he had detected with a critical eye more than one failure ofperfect symmetry in her form, he was forced to acknowledge her figure to be light and pleasing; and

in spite of his asserting that her manners were not those of the fashionable world, he was caught bytheir easy playfulness Of this she was perfectly unaware; to her he was only the man who madehimself agreeable nowhere, and who had not thought her handsome enough to dance with

He began to wish to know more of her, and as a step towards conversing with her himself, attended

to her conversation with others His doing so drew her notice It was at Sir William Lucas's, where alarge party were assembled

"What does Mr Darcy mean," said she to Charlotte, "by listening to my conversation with ColonelForster?"

"That is a question which Mr Darcy only can answer."

"But if he does it any more I shall certainly let him know that I see what he is about He has a verysatirical eye, and if I do not begin by being impertinent myself, I shall soon grow afraid of him."

On his approaching them soon afterwards, though without seeming to have any intention ofspeaking, Miss Lucas defied her friend to mention such a subject to him; which immediatelyprovoking Elizabeth to do it, she turned to him and said:

"Did you not think, Mr Darcy, that I expressed myself uncommonly well just now, when I wasteasing Colonel Forster to give us a ball at Meryton?"

"With great energy; but it is always a subject which makes a lady energetic."

"You are severe on us."

"It will be her turn soon to be teased," said Miss Lucas "I am going to open the instrument, Eliza,

and you know what follows."

"You are a very strange creature by way of a friend!—always wanting me to play and sing beforeanybody and everybody! If my vanity had taken a musical turn, you would have been invaluable; but

as it is, I would really rather not sit down before those who must be in the habit of hearing the verybest performers." On Miss Lucas's persevering, however, she added, "Very well, if it must be so, itmust." And gravely glancing at Mr Darcy, "There is a fine old saying, which everybody here is ofcourse familiar with: 'Keep your breath to cool your porridge'; and I shall keep mine to swell mysong."

Her performance was pleasing, though by no means capital After a song or two, and before shecould reply to the entreaties of several that she would sing again, she was eagerly succeeded at theinstrument by her sister Mary, who having, in consequence of being the only plain one in the family,worked hard for knowledge and accomplishments, was always impatient for display

Mary had neither genius nor taste; and though vanity had given her application, it had given herlikewise a pedantic air and conceited manner, which would have injured a higher degree ofexcellence than she had reached Elizabeth, easy and unaffected, had been listened to with much morepleasure, though not playing half so well; and Mary, at the end of a long concerto, was glad topurchase praise and gratitude by Scotch and Irish airs, at the request of her younger sisters, who, withsome of the Lucases, and two or three officers, joined eagerly in dancing at one end of the room

Mr Darcy stood near them in silent indignation at such a mode of passing the evening, to theexclusion of all conversation, and was too much engrossed by his thoughts to perceive that SirWilliam Lucas was his neighbour, till Sir William thus began:

"What a charming amusement for young people this is, Mr Darcy! There is nothing like dancingafter all I consider it as one of the first refinements of polished society."

"Certainly, sir; and it has the advantage also of being in vogue amongst the less polished societies

of the world Every savage can dance."

Sir William only smiled "Your friend performs delightfully," he continued after a pause, on seeingBingley join the group; "and I doubt not that you are an adept in the science yourself, Mr Darcy."

"You saw me dance at Meryton, I believe, sir."

"Yes, indeed, and received no inconsiderable pleasure from the sight Do you often dance at St.James's?"

"Never, sir."

"Do you not think it would be a proper compliment to the place?"

"It is a compliment which I never pay to any place if I can avoid it."

"You have a house in town, I conclude?"

Mr Darcy bowed

"I had once had some thought of fixing in town myself—for I am fond of superior society; but I didnot feel quite certain that the air of London would agree with Lady Lucas."

He paused in hopes of an answer; but his companion was not disposed to make any; and Elizabeth

at that instant moving towards them, he was struck with the action of doing a very gallant thing, andcalled out to her:

"My dear Miss Eliza, why are you not dancing? Mr Darcy, you must allow me to present thisyoung lady to you as a very desirable partner You cannot refuse to dance, I am sure when so muchbeauty is before you." And, taking her hand, he would have given it to Mr Darcy who, thoughextremely surprised, was not unwilling to receive it, when she instantly drew back, and said withsome discomposure to Sir William:

"Indeed, sir, I have not the least intention of dancing I entreat you not to suppose that I moved thisway in order to beg for a partner."

Mr Darcy, with grave propriety, requested to be allowed the honour of her hand, but in vain.Elizabeth was determined; nor did Sir William at all shake her purpose by his attempt at persuasion

"You excel so much in the dance, Miss Eliza, that it is cruel to deny me the happiness of seeingyou; and though this gentleman dislikes the amusement in general, he can have no objection, I am sure,

to oblige us for one half-hour."

"Mr Darcy is all politeness," said Elizabeth, smiling

"He is, indeed; but, considering the inducement, my dear Miss Eliza, we cannot wonder at hiscomplaisance—for who would object to such a partner?"

Elizabeth looked archly, and turned away Her resistance had not injured her with the gentleman,and he was thinking of her with some complacency, when thus accosted by Miss Bingley:

"I can guess the subject of your reverie."

"I should imagine not."

"You are considering how insupportable it would be to pass many evenings in this manner—insuch society; and indeed I am quite of your opinion I was never more annoyed! The insipidity, andyet the noise—the nothingness, and yet the self-importance of all those people! What would I give tohear your strictures on them!"

"Your conjecture is totally wrong, I assure you My mind was more agreeably engaged I have beenmeditating on the very great pleasure which a pair of fine eyes in the face of a pretty woman canbestow."

Miss Bingley immediately fixed her eyes on his face, and desired he would tell her what lady hadthe credit of inspiring such reflections Mr Darcy replied with great intrepidity:

"Miss Elizabeth Bennet."

"Miss Elizabeth Bennet!" repeated Miss Bingley "I am all astonishment How long has she beensuch a favourite?—and pray, when am I to wish you joy?"

"That is exactly the question which I expected you to ask A lady's imagination is very rapid; itjumps from admiration to love, from love to matrimony, in a moment I knew you would be wishing

me joy."

"Nay, if you are serious about it, I shall consider the matter is absolutely settled You will behaving a charming mother-in-law, indeed; and, of course, she will always be at Pemberley with you."

He listened to her with perfect indifference while she chose to entertain herself in this manner; and

as his composure convinced her that all was safe, her wit flowed long

Chapter 7

Mr Bennet's property consisted almost entirely in an estate of two thousand a year, which,unfortunately for his daughters, was entailed, in default of heirs male, on a distant relation; and theirmother's fortune, though ample for her situation in life, could but ill supply the deficiency of his Herfather had been an attorney in Meryton, and had left her four thousand pounds

She had a sister married to a Mr Phillips, who had been a clerk to their father and succeeded him

in the business, and a brother settled in London in a respectable line of trade

The village of Longbourn was only one mile from Meryton; a most convenient distance for theyoung ladies, who were usually tempted thither three or four times a week, to pay their duty to theiraunt and to a milliner's shop just over the way The two youngest of the family, Catherine and Lydia,were particularly frequent in these attentions; their minds were more vacant than their sisters', andwhen nothing better offered, a walk to Meryton was necessary to amuse their morning hours andfurnish conversation for the evening; and however bare of news the country in general might be, theyalways contrived to learn some from their aunt At present, indeed, they were well supplied both withnews and happiness by the recent arrival of a militia regiment in the neighbourhood; it was to remainthe whole winter, and Meryton was the headquarters

Their visits to Mrs Phillips were now productive of the most interesting intelligence Every dayadded something to their knowledge of the officers' names and connections Their lodgings were notlong a secret, and at length they began to know the officers themselves Mr Phillips visited them all,and this opened to his nieces a store of felicity unknown before They could talk of nothing butofficers; and Mr Bingley's large fortune, the mention of which gave animation to their mother, wasworthless in their eyes when opposed to the regimentals of an ensign

After listening one morning to their effusions on this subject, Mr Bennet coolly observed:

"From all that I can collect by your manner of talking, you must be two of the silliest girls in thecountry I have suspected it some time, but I am now convinced."

Catherine was disconcerted, and made no answer; but Lydia, with perfect indifference, continued

to express her admiration of Captain Carter, and her hope of seeing him in the course of the day, as hewas going the next morning to London

"I am astonished, my dear," said Mrs Bennet, "that you should be so ready to think your ownchildren silly If I wished to think slightingly of anybody's children, it should not be of my own,however."

"If my children are silly, I must hope to be always sensible of it."

"Yes—but as it happens, they are all of them very clever."

"This is the only point, I flatter myself, on which we do not agree I had hoped that our sentimentscoincided in every particular, but I must so far differ from you as to think our two youngest daughtersuncommonly foolish."

"My dear Mr Bennet, you must not expect such girls to have the sense of their father and mother.When they get to our age, I dare say they will not think about officers any more than we do Iremember the time when I liked a red coat myself very well—and, indeed, so I do still at my heart;and if a smart young colonel, with five or six thousand a year, should want one of my girls I shall notsay nay to him; and I thought Colonel Forster looked very becoming the other night at Sir William's inhis regimentals."

"Mamma," cried Lydia, "my aunt says that Colonel Forster and Captain Carter do not go so often toMiss Watson's as they did when they first came; she sees them now very often standing in Clarke'slibrary."

Mrs Bennet was prevented replying by the entrance of the footman with a note for Miss Bennet; itcame from Netherfield, and the servant waited for an answer Mrs Bennet's eyes sparkled withpleasure, and she was eagerly calling out, while her daughter read,

"Well, Jane, who is it from? What is it about? What does he say? Well, Jane, make haste and tellus; make haste, my love."

"It is from Miss Bingley," said Jane, and then read it aloud

"MY DEAR FRIEND,—

"If you are not so compassionate as to dine to-day with Louisa and me, we shall be in danger ofhating each other for the rest of our lives, for a whole day's tete-a-tete between two women can neverend without a quarrel Come as soon as you can on receipt of this My brother and the gentlemen are

to dine with the officers.—Yours ever,

"CAROLINE BINGLEY"

"With the officers!" cried Lydia "I wonder my aunt did not tell us of that."

"Dining out," said Mrs Bennet, "that is very unlucky."

"Can I have the carriage?" said Jane

"No, my dear, you had better go on horseback, because it seems likely to rain; and then you muststay all night."

"That would be a good scheme," said Elizabeth, "if you were sure that they would not offer to sendher home."

"Oh! but the gentlemen will have Mr Bingley's chaise to go to Meryton, and the Hursts have nohorses to theirs."

"I had much rather go in the coach."

"But, my dear, your father cannot spare the horses, I am sure They are wanted in the farm, Mr.Bennet, are they not?"

"They are wanted in the farm much oftener than I can get them."

"But if you have got them to-day," said Elizabeth, "my mother's purpose will be answered."

She did at last extort from her father an acknowledgment that the horses were engaged Jane wastherefore obliged to go on horseback, and her mother attended her to the door with many cheerfulprognostics of a bad day Her hopes were answered; Jane had not been gone long before it rainedhard Her sisters were uneasy for her, but her mother was delighted The rain continued the wholeevening without intermission; Jane certainly could not come back

"This was a lucky idea of mine, indeed!" said Mrs Bennet more than once, as if the credit ofmaking it rain were all her own Till the next morning, however, she was not aware of all the felicity

of her contrivance Breakfast was scarcely over when a servant from Netherfield brought thefollowing note for Elizabeth:

"MY DEAREST LIZZY,—

"I find myself very unwell this morning, which, I suppose, is to be imputed to my getting wetthrough yesterday My kind friends will not hear of my returning till I am better They insist also on

my seeing Mr Jones—therefore do not be alarmed if you should hear of his having been to me—and,excepting a sore throat and headache, there is not much the matter with me.—Yours, etc."

"Well, my dear," said Mr Bennet, when Elizabeth had read the note aloud, "if your daughter shouldhave a dangerous fit of illness—if she should die, it would be a comfort to know that it was all inpursuit of Mr Bingley, and under your orders."

"Oh! I am not afraid of her dying People do not die of little trifling colds She will be taken goodcare of As long as she stays there, it is all very well I would go and see her if I could have thecarriage."

Elizabeth, feeling really anxious, was determined to go to her, though the carriage was not to behad; and as she was no horsewoman, walking was her only alternative She declared her resolution

"How can you be so silly," cried her mother, "as to think of such a thing, in all this dirt! You willnot be fit to be seen when you get there."

"I shall be very fit to see Jane—which is all I want."

"Is this a hint to me, Lizzy," said her father, "to send for the horses?"

"No, indeed, I do not wish to avoid the walk The distance is nothing when one has a motive; onlythree miles I shall be back by dinner."

"I admire the activity of your benevolence," observed Mary, "but every impulse of feeling should

be guided by reason; and, in my opinion, exertion should always be in proportion to what isrequired."

"We will go as far as Meryton with you," said Catherine and Lydia Elizabeth accepted theircompany, and the three young ladies set off together

"If we make haste," said Lydia, as they walked along, "perhaps we may see something of CaptainCarter before he goes."

In Meryton they parted; the two youngest repaired to the lodgings of one of the officers' wives, andElizabeth continued her walk alone, crossing field after field at a quick pace, jumping over stiles andspringing over puddles with impatient activity, and finding herself at last within view of the house,with weary ankles, dirty stockings, and a face glowing with the warmth of exercise.

She was shown into the breakfast-parlour, where all but Jane were assembled, and where herappearance created a great deal of surprise That she should have walked three miles so early in theday, in such dirty weather, and by herself, was almost incredible to Mrs Hurst and Miss Bingley; andElizabeth was convinced that they held her in contempt for it She was received, however, verypolitely by them; and in their brother's manners there was something better than politeness; there wasgood humour and kindness Mr Darcy said very little, and Mr Hurst nothing at all The former wasdivided between admiration of the brilliancy which exercise had given to her complexion, and doubt

as to the occasion's justifying her coming so far alone The latter was thinking only of his breakfast.Her inquiries after her sister were not very favourably answered Miss Bennet had slept ill, andthough up, was very feverish, and not well enough to leave her room Elizabeth was glad to be taken

to her immediately; and Jane, who had only been withheld by the fear of giving alarm orinconvenience from expressing in her note how much she longed for such a visit, was delighted at herentrance She was not equal, however, to much conversation, and when Miss Bingley left themtogether, could attempt little besides expressions of gratitude for the extraordinary kindness she wastreated with Elizabeth silently attended her

When breakfast was over they were joined by the sisters; and Elizabeth began to like them herself,when she saw how much affection and solicitude they showed for Jane The apothecary came, andhaving examined his patient, said, as might be supposed, that she had caught a violent cold, and thatthey must endeavour to get the better of it; advised her to return to bed, and promised her somedraughts The advice was followed readily, for the feverish symptoms increased, and her head achedacutely Elizabeth did not quit her room for a moment; nor were the other ladies often absent; thegentlemen being out, they had, in fact, nothing to do elsewhere

When the clock struck three, Elizabeth felt that she must go, and very unwillingly said so MissBingley offered her the carriage, and she only wanted a little pressing to accept it, when Jane testifiedsuch concern in parting with her, that Miss Bingley was obliged to convert the offer of the chaise to

an invitation to remain at Netherfield for the present Elizabeth most thankfully consented, and aservant was dispatched to Longbourn to acquaint the family with her stay and bring back a supply ofclothes

Chapter 8

At five o'clock the two ladies retired to dress, and at half-past six Elizabeth was summoned todinner To the civil inquiries which then poured in, and amongst which she had the pleasure ofdistinguishing the much superior solicitude of Mr Bingley's, she could not make a very favourableanswer Jane was by no means better The sisters, on hearing this, repeated three or four times howmuch they were grieved, how shocking it was to have a bad cold, and how excessively they dislikedbeing ill themselves; and then thought no more of the matter: and their indifference towards Jane whennot immediately before them restored Elizabeth to the enjoyment of all her former dislike

Their brother, indeed, was the only one of the party whom she could regard with any complacency.His anxiety for Jane was evident, and his attentions to herself most pleasing, and they prevented herfeeling herself so much an intruder as she believed she was considered by the others She had verylittle notice from any but him Miss Bingley was engrossed by Mr Darcy, her sister scarcely less so;and as for Mr Hurst, by whom Elizabeth sat, he was an indolent man, who lived only to eat, drink,and play at cards; who, when he found her to prefer a plain dish to a ragout, had nothing to say to her

When dinner was over, she returned directly to Jane, and Miss Bingley began abusing her as soon

as she was out of the room Her manners were pronounced to be very bad indeed, a mixture of prideand impertinence; she had no conversation, no style, no beauty Mrs Hurst thought the same, andadded:

"She has nothing, in short, to recommend her, but being an excellent walker I shall never forget herappearance this morning She really looked almost wild."

"She did, indeed, Louisa I could hardly keep my countenance Very nonsensical to come at all!

Why must she be scampering about the country, because her sister had a cold? Her hair, so untidy, so

"You observed it, Mr Darcy, I am sure," said Miss Bingley; "and I am inclined to think that you would not wish to see your sister make such an exhibition."

"Certainly not."

"To walk three miles, or four miles, or five miles, or whatever it is, above her ankles in dirt, andalone, quite alone! What could she mean by it? It seems to me to show an abominable sort ofconceited independence, a most country-town indifference to decorum."

"It shows an affection for her sister that is very pleasing," said Bingley

"I am afraid, Mr Darcy," observed Miss Bingley in a half whisper, "that this adventure has ratheraffected your admiration of her fine eyes."

"Not at all," he replied; "they were brightened by the exercise." A short pause followed thisspeech, and Mrs Hurst began again:

"I have an excessive regard for Miss Jane Bennet, she is really a very sweet girl, and I wish withall my heart she were well settled But with such a father and mother, and such low connections, I amafraid there is no chance of it."

"I think I have heard you say that their uncle is an attorney in Meryton."

"Yes; and they have another, who lives somewhere near Cheapside."

"That is capital," added her sister, and they both laughed heartily

"If they had uncles enough to fill all Cheapside," cried Bingley, "it would not make them one jot

"Do you prefer reading to cards?" said he; "that is rather singular."

"Miss Eliza Bennet," said Miss Bingley, "despises cards She is a great reader, and has nopleasure in anything else."

"I deserve neither such praise nor such censure," cried Elizabeth; "I am not a great reader, and I

have pleasure in many things."

"In nursing your sister I am sure you have pleasure," said Bingley; "and I hope it will be soonincreased by seeing her quite well."

Elizabeth thanked him from her heart, and then walked towards the table where a few books werelying He immediately offered to fetch her others—all that his library afforded

"And I wish my collection were larger for your benefit and my own credit; but I am an idle fellow,and though I have not many, I have more than I ever looked into."

Elizabeth assured him that she could suit herself perfectly with those in the room

"I am astonished," said Miss Bingley, "that my father should have left so small a collection ofbooks What a delightful library you have at Pemberley, Mr Darcy!"

"It ought to be good," he replied, "it has been the work of many generations."

"And then you have added so much to it yourself, you are always buying books."

"I cannot comprehend the neglect of a family library in such days as these."

"Neglect! I am sure you neglect nothing that can add to the beauties of that noble place Charles,

when you build your house, I wish it may be half as delightful as Pemberley."

"I wish it may."

"But I would really advise you to make your purchase in that neighbourhood, and take Pemberleyfor a kind of model There is not a finer county in England than Derbyshire."

"With all my heart; I will buy Pemberley itself if Darcy will sell it."

"I am talking of possibilities, Charles."

"Upon my word, Caroline, I should think it more possible to get Pemberley by purchase than byimitation."

Elizabeth was so much caught with what passed, as to leave her very little attention for her book;and soon laying it wholly aside, she drew near the card-table, and stationed herself between Mr.Bingley and his eldest sister, to observe the game

"Is Miss Darcy much grown since the spring?" said Miss Bingley; "will she be as tall as I am?"

"I think she will She is now about Miss Elizabeth Bennet's height, or rather taller."

"How I long to see her again! I never met with anybody who delighted me so much Such acountenance, such manners! And so extremely accomplished for her age! Her performance on thepianoforte is exquisite."

"It is amazing to me," said Bingley, "how young ladies can have patience to be so veryaccomplished as they all are."

"All young ladies accomplished! My dear Charles, what do you mean?"

"Yes, all of them, I think They all paint tables, cover screens, and net purses I scarcely knowanyone who cannot do all this, and I am sure I never heard a young lady spoken of for the first time,without being informed that she was very accomplished."

"Your list of the common extent of accomplishments," said Darcy, "has too much truth The word isapplied to many a woman who deserves it no otherwise than by netting a purse or covering a screen.But I am very far from agreeing with you in your estimation of ladies in general I cannot boast ofknowing more than half-a-dozen, in the whole range of my acquaintance, that are reallyaccomplished."

"Nor I, I am sure," said Miss Bingley.

"Then," observed Elizabeth, "you must comprehend a great deal in your idea of an accomplishedwoman."

"Yes, I do comprehend a great deal in it."

"Oh! certainly," cried his faithful assistant, "no one can be really esteemed accomplished who doesnot greatly surpass what is usually met with A woman must have a thorough knowledge of music,singing, drawing, dancing, and the modern languages, to deserve the word; and besides all this, shemust possess a certain something in her air and manner of walking, the tone of her voice, her addressand expressions, or the word will be but half-deserved."

"All this she must possess," added Darcy, "and to all this she must yet add something moresubstantial, in the improvement of her mind by extensive reading."

"I am no longer surprised at your knowing only six accomplished women I rather wonder now at your knowing any."

"Are you so severe upon your own sex as to doubt the possibility of all this?"

"I never saw such a woman I never saw such capacity, and taste, and application, and elegance, asyou describe united."

Mrs Hurst and Miss Bingley both cried out against the injustice of her implied doubt, and wereboth protesting that they knew many women who answered this description, when Mr Hurst calledthem to order, with bitter complaints of their inattention to what was going forward As allconversation was thereby at an end, Elizabeth soon afterwards left the room

"Elizabeth Bennet," said Miss Bingley, when the door was closed on her, "is one of those youngladies who seek to recommend themselves to the other sex by undervaluing their own; and with manymen, I dare say, it succeeds But, in my opinion, it is a paltry device, a very mean art."

"Undoubtedly," replied Darcy, to whom this remark was chiefly addressed, "there is a meanness in

all the arts which ladies sometimes condescend to employ for captivation Whatever bears affinity to

cunning is despicable."

Miss Bingley was not so entirely satisfied with this reply as to continue the subject

Elizabeth joined them again only to say that her sister was worse, and that she could not leave her.Bingley urged Mr Jones being sent for immediately; while his sisters, convinced that no countryadvice could be of any service, recommended an express to town for one of the most eminentphysicians This she would not hear of; but she was not so unwilling to comply with their brother'sproposal; and it was settled that Mr Jones should be sent for early in the morning, if Miss Bennetwere not decidedly better Bingley was quite uncomfortable; his sisters declared that they weremiserable They solaced their wretchedness, however, by duets after supper, while he could find nobetter relief to his feelings than by giving his housekeeper directions that every attention might bepaid to the sick lady and her sister

Had she found Jane in any apparent danger, Mrs Bennet would have been very miserable; butbeing satisfied on seeing her that her illness was not alarming, she had no wish of her recoveringimmediately, as her restoration to health would probably remove her from Netherfield She would notlisten, therefore, to her daughter's proposal of being carried home; neither did the apothecary, whoarrived about the same time, think it at all advisable After sitting a little while with Jane, on MissBingley's appearance and invitation, the mother and three daughters all attended her into the breakfastparlour Bingley met them with hopes that Mrs Bennet had not found Miss Bennet worse than sheexpected.

"Indeed I have, sir," was her answer "She is a great deal too ill to be moved Mr Jones says wemust not think of moving her We must trespass a little longer on your kindness."

"Removed!" cried Bingley "It must not be thought of My sister, I am sure, will not hear of herremoval."

"You may depend upon it, Madam," said Miss Bingley, with cold civility, "that Miss Bennet willreceive every possible attention while she remains with us."

Mrs Bennet was profuse in her acknowledgments

"I am sure," she added, "if it was not for such good friends I do not know what would become ofher, for she is very ill indeed, and suffers a vast deal, though with the greatest patience in the world,which is always the way with her, for she has, without exception, the sweetest temper I have ever met

with I often tell my other girls they are nothing to her You have a sweet room here, Mr Bingley, and

a charming prospect over the gravel walk I do not know a place in the country that is equal toNetherfield You will not think of quitting it in a hurry, I hope, though you have but a short lease."

"Whatever I do is done in a hurry," replied he; "and therefore if I should resolve to quitNetherfield, I should probably be off in five minutes At present, however, I consider myself as quitefixed here."

"That is exactly what I should have supposed of you," said Elizabeth

"You begin to comprehend me, do you?" cried he, turning towards her

"Oh! yes—I understand you perfectly."

"I wish I might take this for a compliment; but to be so easily seen through I am afraid is pitiful."

"That is as it happens It does not follow that a deep, intricate character is more or less estimablethan such a one as yours."

"Lizzy," cried her mother, "remember where you are, and do not run on in the wild manner that youare suffered to do at home."

"I did not know before," continued Bingley immediately, "that you were a studier of character Itmust be an amusing study."

"Yes, but intricate characters are the most amusing They have at least that advantage."

"The country," said Darcy, "can in general supply but a few subjects for such a study In a countryneighbourhood you move in a very confined and unvarying society."

"But people themselves alter so much, that there is something new to be observed in them forever."

"Yes, indeed," cried Mrs Bennet, offended by his manner of mentioning a country neighbourhood

"I assure you there is quite as much of that going on in the country as in town."

Everybody was surprised, and Darcy, after looking at her for a moment, turned silently away Mrs.Bennet, who fancied she had gained a complete victory over him, continued her triumph

"I cannot see that London has any great advantage over the country, for my part, except the shopsand public places The country is a vast deal pleasanter, is it not, Mr Bingley?"

"When I am in the country," he replied, "I never wish to leave it; and when I am in town it is prettymuch the same They have each their advantages, and I can be equally happy in either."

"Aye—that is because you have the right disposition But that gentleman," looking at Darcy,

"seemed to think the country was nothing at all."

"Indeed, Mamma, you are mistaken," said Elizabeth, blushing for her mother "You quite mistook

Mr Darcy He only meant that there was not such a variety of people to be met with in the country as

in the town, which you must acknowledge to be true."

"Certainly, my dear, nobody said there were; but as to not meeting with many people in thisneighbourhood, I believe there are few neighbourhoods larger I know we dine with four-and-twentyfamilies."

Nothing but concern for Elizabeth could enable Bingley to keep his countenance His sister wasless delicate, and directed her eyes towards Mr Darcy with a very expressive smile Elizabeth, forthe sake of saying something that might turn her mother's thoughts, now asked her if Charlotte Lucas

had been at Longbourn since her coming away.

"Yes, she called yesterday with her father What an agreeable man Sir William is, Mr Bingley, isnot he? So much the man of fashion! So genteel and easy! He has always something to say to

everybody That is my idea of good breeding; and those persons who fancy themselves very

important, and never open their mouths, quite mistake the matter."

"Did Charlotte dine with you?"

"No, she would go home I fancy she was wanted about the mince-pies For my part, Mr Bingley, I

always keep servants that can do their own work; my daughters are brought up very differently But

everybody is to judge for themselves, and the Lucases are a very good sort of girls, I assure you It is

a pity they are not handsome! Not that I think Charlotte so very plain—but then she is our particular

friend."

"She seems a very pleasant young woman."

"Oh! dear, yes; but you must own she is very plain Lady Lucas herself has often said so, andenvied me Jane's beauty I do not like to boast of my own child, but to be sure, Jane—one does notoften see anybody better looking It is what everybody says I do not trust my own partiality Whenshe was only fifteen, there was a man at my brother Gardiner's in town so much in love with her that

my sister-in-law was sure he would make her an offer before we came away But, however, he didnot Perhaps he thought her too young However, he wrote some verses on her, and very pretty theywere."

"And so ended his affection," said Elizabeth impatiently "There has been many a one, I fancy,overcome in the same way I wonder who first discovered the efficacy of poetry in driving awaylove!"

"I have been used to consider poetry as the food of love," said Darcy.

"Of a fine, stout, healthy love it may Everything nourishes what is strong already But if it be only

a slight, thin sort of inclination, I am convinced that one good sonnet will starve it entirely away."Darcy only smiled; and the general pause which ensued made Elizabeth tremble lest her mothershould be exposing herself again She longed to speak, but could think of nothing to say; and after ashort silence Mrs Bennet began repeating her thanks to Mr Bingley for his kindness to Jane, with anapology for troubling him also with Lizzy Mr Bingley was unaffectedly civil in his answer, andforced his younger sister to be civil also, and say what the occasion required She performed her partindeed without much graciousness, but Mrs Bennet was satisfied, and soon afterwards ordered hercarriage Upon this signal, the youngest of her daughters put herself forward The two girls had beenwhispering to each other during the whole visit, and the result of it was, that the youngest should tax

Mr Bingley with having promised on his first coming into the country to give a ball at Netherfield.Lydia was a stout, well-grown girl of fifteen, with a fine complexion and good-humouredcountenance; a favourite with her mother, whose affection had brought her into public at an early age.She had high animal spirits, and a sort of natural self-consequence, which the attention of the officers,

to whom her uncle's good dinners, and her own easy manners recommended her, had increased intoassurance She was very equal, therefore, to address Mr Bingley on the subject of the ball, andabruptly reminded him of his promise; adding, that it would be the most shameful thing in the world if

he did not keep it His answer to this sudden attack was delightful to their mother's ear:

"I am perfectly ready, I assure you, to keep my engagement; and when your sister is recovered, you

shall, if you please, name the very day of the ball But you would not wish to be dancing when she isill."

Lydia declared herself satisfied "Oh! yes—it would be much better to wait till Jane was well, and

by that time most likely Captain Carter would be at Meryton again And when you have given your

ball," she added, "I shall insist on their giving one also I shall tell Colonel Forster it will be quite ashame if he does not."

Mrs Bennet and her daughters then departed, and Elizabeth returned instantly to Jane, leaving herown and her relations' behaviour to the remarks of the two ladies and Mr Darcy; the latter of whom,

however, could not be prevailed on to join in their censure of her, in spite of all Miss Bingley's witticisms on fine eyes.

Chapter 10

The day passed much as the day before had done Mrs Hurst and Miss Bingley had spent somehours of the morning with the invalid, who continued, though slowly, to mend; and in the eveningElizabeth joined their party in the drawing-room The loo-table, however, did not appear Mr Darcywas writing, and Miss Bingley, seated near him, was watching the progress of his letter andrepeatedly calling off his attention by messages to his sister Mr Hurst and Mr Bingley were atpiquet, and Mrs Hurst was observing their game

Elizabeth took up some needlework, and was sufficiently amused in attending to what passedbetween Darcy and his companion The perpetual commendations of the lady, either on hishandwriting, or on the evenness of his lines, or on the length of his letter, with the perfect unconcernwith which her praises were received, formed a curious dialogue, and was exactly in union with heropinion of each

"How delighted Miss Darcy will be to receive such a letter!"

He made no answer

"You write uncommonly fast."

"You are mistaken I write rather slowly."

"How many letters you must have occasion to write in the course of a year! Letters of business, too!How odious I should think them!"

"It is fortunate, then, that they fall to my lot instead of yours."

"Pray tell your sister that I long to see her."

"I have already told her so once, by your desire."

"I am afraid you do not like your pen Let me mend it for you I mend pens remarkably well."

"Thank you—but I always mend my own."

"How can you contrive to write so even?"

He was silent

"Tell your sister I am delighted to hear of her improvement on the harp; and pray let her know that I

am quite in raptures with her beautiful little design for a table, and I think it infinitely superior to MissGrantley's."

"Will you give me leave to defer your raptures till I write again? At present I have not room to dothem justice."

"Oh! it is of no consequence I shall see her in January But do you always write such charminglong letters to her, Mr Darcy?"

"They are generally long; but whether always charming it is not for me to determine."

"It is a rule with me, that a person who can write a long letter with ease, cannot write ill."

"That will not do for a compliment to Darcy, Caroline," cried her brother, "because he does not

write with ease He studies too much for words of four syllables Do not you, Darcy?"

"My style of writing is very different from yours."

"Oh!" cried Miss Bingley, "Charles writes in the most careless way imaginable He leaves out halfhis words, and blots the rest."

"My ideas flow so rapidly that I have not time to express them—by which means my letterssometimes convey no ideas at all to my correspondents."

"Your humility, Mr Bingley," said Elizabeth, "must disarm reproof."

"Nothing is more deceitful," said Darcy, "than the appearance of humility It is often onlycarelessness of opinion, and sometimes an indirect boast."

"And which of the two do you call my little recent piece of modesty?"

"The indirect boast; for you are really proud of your defects in writing, because you consider them

as proceeding from a rapidity of thought and carelessness of execution, which, if not estimable, youthink at least highly interesting The power of doing anything with quickness is always prized much bythe possessor, and often without any attention to the imperfection of the performance When you toldMrs Bennet this morning that if you ever resolved upon quitting Netherfield you should be gone infive minutes, you meant it to be a sort of panegyric, of compliment to yourself—and yet what is there

so very laudable in a precipitance which must leave very necessary business undone, and can be of

no real advantage to yourself or anyone else?"

"Nay," cried Bingley, "this is too much, to remember at night all the foolish things that were said inthe morning And yet, upon my honour, I believe what I said of myself to be true, and I believe it atthis moment At least, therefore, I did not assume the character of needless precipitance merely toshow off before the ladies."

"I dare say you believed it; but I am by no means convinced that you would be gone with suchcelerity Your conduct would be quite as dependent on chance as that of any man I know; and if, asyou were mounting your horse, a friend were to say, 'Bingley, you had better stay till next week,' youwould probably do it, you would probably not go—and at another word, might stay a month."

"You have only proved by this," cried Elizabeth, "that Mr Bingley did not do justice to his owndisposition You have shown him off now much more than he did himself."

"I am exceedingly gratified," said Bingley, "by your converting what my friend says into acompliment on the sweetness of my temper But I am afraid you are giving it a turn which thatgentleman did by no means intend; for he would certainly think better of me, if under such acircumstance I were to give a flat denial, and ride off as fast as I could."

"Would Mr Darcy then consider the rashness of your original intentions as atoned for by your

obstinacy in adhering to it?"

"Upon my word, I cannot exactly explain the matter; Darcy must speak for himself."

"You expect me to account for opinions which you choose to call mine, but which I have neveracknowledged Allowing the case, however, to stand according to your representation, you mustremember, Miss Bennet, that the friend who is supposed to desire his return to the house, and thedelay of his plan, has merely desired it, asked it without offering one argument in favour of itspropriety."

"To yield readily—easily—to the persuasion of a friend is no merit with you."

"To yield without conviction is no compliment to the understanding of either."

"You appear to me, Mr Darcy, to allow nothing for the influence of friendship and affection Aregard for the requester would often make one readily yield to a request, without waiting forarguments to reason one into it I am not particularly speaking of such a case as you have supposedabout Mr Bingley We may as well wait, perhaps, till the circumstance occurs before we discuss thediscretion of his behaviour thereupon But in general and ordinary cases between friend and friend,where one of them is desired by the other to change a resolution of no very great moment, should youthink ill of that person for complying with the desire, without waiting to be argued into it?"

"Will it not be advisable, before we proceed on this subject, to arrange with rather more precisionthe degree of importance which is to appertain to this request, as well as the degree of intimacysubsisting between the parties?"

"By all means," cried Bingley; "let us hear all the particulars, not forgetting their comparativeheight and size; for that will have more weight in the argument, Miss Bennet, than you may be aware

of I assure you, that if Darcy were not such a great tall fellow, in comparison with myself, I shouldnot pay him half so much deference I declare I do not know a more awful object than Darcy, onparticular occasions, and in particular places; at his own house especially, and of a Sunday evening,when he has nothing to do."

Mr Darcy smiled; but Elizabeth thought she could perceive that he was rather offended, andtherefore checked her laugh Miss Bingley warmly resented the indignity he had received, in anexpostulation with her brother for talking such nonsense

"I see your design, Bingley," said his friend "You dislike an argument, and want to silence this."

"Perhaps I do Arguments are too much like disputes If you and Miss Bennet will defer yours till I

am out of the room, I shall be very thankful; and then you may say whatever you like of me."

"What you ask," said Elizabeth, "is no sacrifice on my side; and Mr Darcy had much better finishhis letter."

Mr Darcy took her advice, and did finish his letter

When that business was over, he applied to Miss Bingley and Elizabeth for an indulgence of somemusic Miss Bingley moved with some alacrity to the pianoforte; and, after a polite request that

Elizabeth would lead the way which the other as politely and more earnestly negatived, she seatedherself.

Mrs Hurst sang with her sister, and while they were thus employed, Elizabeth could not helpobserving, as she turned over some music-books that lay on the instrument, how frequently Mr.Darcy's eyes were fixed on her She hardly knew how to suppose that she could be an object ofadmiration to so great a man; and yet that he should look at her because he disliked her, was stillmore strange She could only imagine, however, at last that she drew his notice because there wassomething more wrong and reprehensible, according to his ideas of right, than in any other personpresent The supposition did not pain her She liked him too little to care for his approbation

After playing some Italian songs, Miss Bingley varied the charm by a lively Scotch air; and soonafterwards Mr Darcy, drawing near Elizabeth, said to her:

"Do not you feel a great inclination, Miss Bennet, to seize such an opportunity of dancing a reel?"She smiled, but made no answer He repeated the question, with some surprise at her silence

"Oh!" said she, "I heard you before, but I could not immediately determine what to say in reply.You wanted me, I know, to say 'Yes,' that you might have the pleasure of despising my taste; but Ialways delight in overthrowing those kind of schemes, and cheating a person of their premeditatedcontempt I have, therefore, made up my mind to tell you, that I do not want to dance a reel at all—andnow despise me if you dare."

"Indeed I do not dare."

Elizabeth, having rather expected to affront him, was amazed at his gallantry; but there was amixture of sweetness and archness in her manner which made it difficult for her to affront anybody;and Darcy had never been so bewitched by any woman as he was by her He really believed, thatwere it not for the inferiority of her connections, he should be in some danger

Miss Bingley saw, or suspected enough to be jealous; and her great anxiety for the recovery of herdear friend Jane received some assistance from her desire of getting rid of Elizabeth

She often tried to provoke Darcy into disliking her guest, by talking of their supposed marriage, andplanning his happiness in such an alliance

"I hope," said she, as they were walking together in the shrubbery the next day, "you will give yourmother-in-law a few hints, when this desirable event takes place, as to the advantage of holding hertongue; and if you can compass it, do cure the younger girls of running after officers And, if I maymention so delicate a subject, endeavour to check that little something, bordering on conceit andimpertinence, which your lady possesses."

"Have you anything else to propose for my domestic felicity?"

"Oh! yes Do let the portraits of your uncle and aunt Phillips be placed in the gallery at Pemberley.Put them next to your great-uncle the judge They are in the same profession, you know, only indifferent lines As for your Elizabeth's picture, you must not have it taken, for what painter could dojustice to those beautiful eyes?"

"It would not be easy, indeed, to catch their expression, but their colour and shape, and theeyelashes, so remarkably fine, might be copied."

At that moment they were met from another walk by Mrs Hurst and Elizabeth herself

"I did not know that you intended to walk," said Miss Bingley, in some confusion, lest they hadbeen overheard

"You used us abominably ill," answered Mrs Hurst, "running away without telling us that you werecoming out."

Then taking the disengaged arm of Mr Darcy, she left Elizabeth to walk by herself The path justadmitted three Mr Darcy felt their rudeness, and immediately said:

"This walk is not wide enough for our party We had better go into the avenue."

But Elizabeth, who had not the least inclination to remain with them, laughingly answered:

"No, no; stay where you are You are charmingly grouped, and appear to uncommon advantage Thepicturesque would be spoilt by admitting a fourth Good-bye."

She then ran gaily off, rejoicing as she rambled about, in the hope of being at home again in a day

or two Jane was already so much recovered as to intend leaving her room for a couple of hours thatevening